OM DU VAR JAG – IF YOU WERE ME

BY SCHIEFAUER, JESSICA

There are a thousand ways to abandon someone. But they all hurt just as much.

Louise and Agnes are twin souls. There just can’t be two other people in the whole world who fit together as well as they do, although they are so different on the outside.
Louise is the kind of person everyone wants to be with – attractive, sexy, fun and inventive. Agnes is not like that at all, unfortunately; she is mostly grey and invisible and generally insignificant. And yet for some reason Louise wants to be with her. She even wants them to get an apartment together now that they’ve finished school and life has really begun.
But the reality does not turn out to be the way they expected; someone called Hannes comes into Agnes’s life, and Louise starts behaving more and more strangely. Behind her strong façade there are glimpses of another personality, and one day she simply goes away, leaving Agnes with a thousand unanswered questions. Agnes begins to look into the life she and Louise shared together. Slowly she discovers that nothing is what she thought it was.

If You Were Me is a book about friendship, love, secrets and life.

First published by Bonnier Carlsen, 2009, Sweden
240 pages
Category: young adult

Razor-sharp on girl’s symbiotic friendship 
Aftonbladet

Jessica Schiefauer narrate with confidence the insecure Agnes and advanced Louise, the small flat, the parties, the drinking and puking. And about how the real danger is lurking close by. 
Expressen

Her strength is that she creates a convincing atmosphere. The language is strong, built on metaphors with and a dialogue that brings the story forward, and she has an unusual sense of impressions. With intense sensuality she conveys the softness of a fabric, the vibrations of the music, the alluring scent of skin and makeup and disgusting odour of vomit. 
SvD



If you were me is a great debut, with a dense language and a vivid characterization. 
Landskrona-Posten

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Children’s & YA